The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

This is a discussion on The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread within Motorbikes, part of the BHP India category; Originally Posted by mithunvvijayan
I recently discovered that my bike is slightly off balance, it veers towards to the right ...

I recently discovered that my bike is slightly off balance, it veers towards to the right side,slightly, when ridden hands free.

Anyone please, can you tell me how to balance the bike, like if there is any method which I can use.

I have ridden 2 390s till date, one my own and other from a friend, and both of them veered to the right when speeds went below 20 kmph. I took it to the service center, and they had no idea why that was so.

Over the course of more than a year, I have changed the tires, tried everything else too, but that thing is still there. It doesn't veer at high speeds, so I've kinda learned to live with it.

One possible explanation could be that since the bike is so damn light, the removal of saree guard causes a big enough weight imbalance to cause this problem Doesn't sound too good, but that's the only explanation I can think of!

I have ridden 2 390s till date, one my own and other from a friend, and both of them veered to the right when speeds went below 20 kmph. I took it to the service center, and they had no idea why that was so.

Over the course of more than a year, I have changed the tires, tried everything else too, but that thing is still there. It doesn't veer at high speeds, so I've kinda learned to live with it.

One possible explanation could be that since the bike is so damn light, the removal of saree guard causes a big enough weight imbalance to cause this problem Doesn't sound too good, but that's the only explanation I can think of!

But saree guard is not mandatory outside India. So I guess it should have veered slightly left when left on. Anyways I will get to know by tomorrow if they could fix it. I was also not concerned much, till my bike's front tyres went slightly outside the line after locking, when I had to hit the brakes hard. May be the ABS kicked in right in time.

My bike has a noticeable wobble at low speed(I recall since day one ) , not handle related but rather front wheel alignment is my guess . In general low speed as in below 40 makes this noticeable and irregular surface doesn't helps either .

It has also developed a tendency to pull towards left again at low speed during front brake application . This is easy to counter except for when riding pillion , then the bike is a proper nuisance to ride within city traffic .

Saree guard for this bike is the biggest joke. Who in the sane mind would ride a pillion in a saree. Bajaj needs to think about common sense sometimes.

veering to the right at that low speed is expected. The bike is losing momentum and secondly the engine is trying to catch some rpm at those speeds and the only way to assess this veer is by removing both the hands which means the engine RPM is rapid or intermittent. Unlike a bullet or low RPM high torque engine, these high RPM high torque engine with light weight chassis will react.

Heavier the bike the better balance it has at lower speed compared to lighter ones. The bike needs speed to stay upright before veering. The point to consider is not by taking your hands of the bike. But are you negating this move every two seconds to correct the bike position. If so check more than tyre pressure including fork, handle bar and suspension.

Saree guard for this bike is the biggest joke. Who in the sane mind would ride a pillion in a saree. Bajaj needs to think about common sense sometimes.

veering to the right at that low speed is expected. The bike is losing momentum and secondly the engine is trying to catch some rpm at those speeds and the only way to assess this veer is by removing both the hands which means the engine RPM is rapid or intermittent. Unlike a bullet or low RPM high torque engine, these high RPM high torque engine with light weight chassis will react.

Heavier the bike the better balance it has at lower speed compared to lighter ones. The bike needs speed to stay upright before veering. The point to consider is not by taking your hands of the bike. But are you negating this move every two seconds to correct the bike position. If so check more than tyre pressure including fork, handle bar and suspension.

I think saree guard is mandatory during registration. Even after getting registered the motor department can technically charge a fine, if the saree guard is not present. When compared to Ninjas atleast it is aesthetically somewhat pleasing.

My good old honda activa is far more balanced at any speeds, when compared to my bike. Activa is lighter and atleast it is a scooter.

I tried to balance the bike after putting the bike to neutral, to remove any engine braking effect. Still it veers right.

I recently discovered that my bike is slightly off balance, it veers towards to the right side,slightly..

One of the main reasons of a motorcycle veering to a certain direction is because the motorcycle is being pushed to the direction via bad alignment OR because of bad torquing of the fork.

If a motorcycle is veering to the right, it means the right fork leg is torqued tightly OR the left fork leg is torqued loosely. In either case, have the SVC to check the alignment, handle bars and the forks checked. There is a specific amount of torque that is used to tighten these forks. Do not let them use a spanner and do it. The SVC guys usually guys prefer not doing this by the books because it is time consuming and tedious till you get it right.

One of the main reasons of a motorcycle veering to a certain direction is because the motorcycle is being pushed to the direction via bad alignment OR because of bad torquing of the fork.

If a motorcycle is veering to the right, it means the right fork leg is torqued tightly OR the left fork leg is torqued loosely. In either case, have the SVC to check the alignment, handle bars and the forks checked. There is a specific amount of torque that is used to tighten these forks. Do not let them use a spanner and do it. The SVC guys usually guys prefer not doing this by the books because it is time consuming and tedious till you get it right.

DM99

I thoroughly agree with this diagnosis and was about to type in the same.

It's very likely that the KTM SVC won't do this job for you and give you another harebrained alibi. I'd advise you to take it to any Castrol Bike Point or reputed private service center. Do let us know the status after getting the aforementioned things checked.

I doubt that. Have faced this issue all over the country, and even outside it! Not to mention the fact that roads generally slope out towards the left side because that's where the footpath section is. Bike pulling towards right doesn't make much sense in that scenario

One of the main reasons of a motorcycle veering to a certain direction is because the motorcycle is being pushed to the direction via bad alignment OR because of bad torquing of the fork.

If a motorcycle is veering to the right, it means the right fork leg is torqued tightly OR the left fork leg is torqued loosely. In either case, have the SVC to check the alignment, handle bars and the forks checked. There is a specific amount of torque that is used to tighten these forks. Do not let them use a spanner and do it. The SVC guys usually guys prefer not doing this by the books because it is time consuming and tedious till you get it right.

DM99

I called up the service guy today, he mentioned that it was something to do with the cone assembly and he has rectified it. Didnt get the bike though, as he is diagnosing something else

Quote:

Originally Posted by barcalad

I thoroughly agree with this diagnosis and was about to type in the same.

It's very likely that the KTM SVC won't do this job for you and give you another harebrained alibi. I'd advise you to take it to any Castrol Bike Point or reputed private service center. Do let us know the status after getting the aforementioned things checked.

Hope that you are wrong abt this service center:-)
Will surely let you know.

I doubt that. Have faced this issue all over the country, and even outside it! Not to mention the fact that roads generally slope out towards the left side because that's where the footpath section is. Bike pulling towards right doesn't make much sense in that scenario

Hey Akhil it may be the issue with tyres itself. Have noticed a similar issue with a buddy who got his D200 fitted with Michelin street radials. The bike gives a wobbly feeling at low speeds (<20kph)

Probably Akshay, although I faced the same problem with the Metz too, then also with Pirelli front Michelin rear, and no with MRF front Michelin rear. I have noticed that as awesome as KTM bikes may be, their quality department can be described as shoddy at best. No 2 390s are alike! All have some slight differences, be it rim quality, or roughness, or issues.

You just spoke my mind, mate. I weigh in 3 digits and have ridden my bike as sedately as possible and avoided potholes and stones more than I'd avoid my past. Even though, there have been one or two instances where I have hit potholes hard. So hard and so quick that I didn't even get time to react or dodge. My first reaction in both the cases was to immediately pull over and check my rims, because logic would imply that when normal weighing people have their rims battered, a heavy weighing person like me would stand no chance!
And in both the cases, the rims have been perfect and shiny, as they should be. Not only that, my fork and tyre pressures has been intact too!
*touchwood*

Call me a perfectionist or a very particular biker, but I never start a long ride without pre ride checks. Chain lubing, tyre pressures, brake pads, fork adjustments, cables & fluids check and thorough cleaning. I attribute my ride's 'no worries bro I got this' performance to this. Why?
I have seen people who have kept their D390s in such condition that the 'Duke' on the fuel tank would best be scratched out and 'Adventure' written on top of it. The catch here? They're the one with the most complaints and niggles. And this is a fact, at least for me.

Mods, I wasn't able to merge both of my replies nor delete both replies and try a fresh 'quote +' feature. Kindly merge. Thanks!